Effects of He Gas Addition on the Production of Active Particles in rf Magnetron Sputtering

We measured optical emission spectra during the deposition of Bi2Sr2Can -1Cun Ox (BSCCO) films by an rf magnetron sputtering method with a BSCCO powder target. It was shown that the active particles produced are ionized oxygen molecules and CuO radicals when He+O2 is used as a sputtering gas. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the BSCCO films prepared using He gas have the same metal composition as the target. In addition, we confirmed that the use of He as a sputtering gas enhances the oxidation in the preparation of CuO films.